How to survive the hayfever season in your state

I vividly remember when I first started experiencing hayfever. We had moved from Perth to Geraldton in my last year of primary school, and as we drove in - right as sunflower season hit its peak - I started scratching frantically and experiencing a stuffy nose and sneezing. Even now, as a regular sufferer that lives back in Perth, if I drive through the fields of the Midwest during wildflower season, I wind up with itchy eyes, a runny nose and a sore throat. Within 24 hours, I can develop a raging sinus infection. The point of my sharing this information? To illustrate how location affects hayfever.

How location affects hayfever

Location plays a big role on when hayfever strikes, and how severely, because the effect on the individual comes down to what their specific allergen is - what plants, trees and grasses, and whether it grows where they live, how often and how much. Plant life pollinates at different times of the year depending on region, and in differing volume - as in the example above, there are a lot of wildflowers in Geraldton, but once you drive an hour out of the metropolitan area, you are driving through hundreds of kilometres of unfettered wildflower life. This explains why some people can be unaffected by hayfever for their whole life until they move to a new area. It also explains why some people badly affected by hayfever can move location and find themselves ‘cured’.

Pollination and hayfever

Pollination cycles in an area can also be cross referenced with factors including prevailing winds, drought and flood. These factors are responsible for changes in pollen counts in the same location from year to year. A rapid rise in humidity, which often precedes a thunderstorm, can cause pollen grains to burst in the air, releasing tiny particles that can be inhaled into the lungs.

What to watch for in your area

Generally speaking, trees pollinate in late winter and early spring, grasses flower next, and the weed 'Plantain' flowers from August through to May across Australia. Grass pollen numbers are also higher in inland areas, where there are no natural barriers to wind dispersal. The best way to stay ahead of the game on a regional and seasonal level is to keep an eye on the four day pollen forecast, by state; and the handy calendar that lists the season, by state, for each of the plants responsible for hayfever.

Here’s a quick guide to hayfever around Australia:

Hayfever in New South Wales

Not typically considered a high risk state for hay fever, the 2007/08 National Health Survey (NHS) reported the second lowest incidence of allergic rhinitis in Australia occurs in NSW, with 13,300 per 100,000 population affected. For those that do, hayfever season in NSW peaks in October and November, but different pollens are released at different times. This means people with multiple allergies could experience symptoms through to March. Tree pollen starts to be released at the end of July or early August, followed by grass pollens from mid-September, then weed pollens.

Hayfever in Western Australia

Flush with grasses and wide open spaces where plant life flourishes year round, West Aussies are among the worst hit by hayfever each year. The 2007/08 NHS reveals WA has the second highest rate of allergic rhinitis, with 19,700 per 100,000 population suffering its effects. The White Cypress, a common cause of allergies, flowers from late July through to the end of August in WA, and allergenic grasses in the southern part are affected by northern hemisphere grasses, with the main flowering period in October - December.

Hayfever in South Australia

Prevailing winds have a big impact on the concentration on pollens in South Australia, and the 2007/08 NHS shows South Australians’ suffer significantly higher rates of allergic rhinitis that the Australian average, with 17,200 per 100,000 population affected, compared to 15,100 per 100,000 population.

Hayfever in Australian Capital Territory

According to the NHS, allergic rhinitis rates were highest in the Australian Capital Territory, where 21,000 per 100,000 population are affected. Residents of Canberra are also badly affected, due to the large amount of exotic plants in the city.

Hayfever in Victoria

Pollen numbers are higher on the Victorian south coast because the prevailing winds are from the north, carrying pollen from the northerly grasslands. Incidence of hayfever is higher than the national average, with 17,500 per 100,000 population affected.

Hayfever in Queensland

Those in Queensland can breathe a sigh of relief; according to the NHS report, Queenslanders experience the lowest levels in the country and well under the national average at 11,300 per 100,000 population affected. Interestingly, they have some of the longest seasons of pollen causing plants in Australia.

Hayfever in the Northern Territory

There are no true statistics on hayfever in the Northern Territory as so far the sample sizes have been too small to provide a reliable estimate, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare study of Allergic rhinitis ('hayfever') in Australia, November 2011.

Hayfever in Tasmania

Tasmanians have relatively high levels of hayfever with around 16,500 people out of every 100,000 suffering from allergic rhinitis.

How to avoid hayfever

Regardless of where you live, the simplest trick to reducing your risk of hayfever is avoidance. Try and stay away from grasses and pollen as much as you can, and you can prevent pollen from entering the nose by coating your nostrils with Vaseline – though this is not for everyone! Also, wear sunglasses during the day if you are out and about during the warmer weather (especially if it is windy) to reduce eye exposure to allergens, pollen and dust.

Use a wet cloth to dust surfaces around your house regularly, and avoid hanging out sheets to dry outside on days when the pollen count is high. Many online weather sites will have four day pollen counts so you can plan ahead.